JPH02303960A - Upper surface drier for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a vehicle from being damaged by performing avoidance action of an upper surface drying nozzle when the vehicle and the upper surface drying nozzle are detected to approach a hazardous distance, in the case of a device in which the upper surface drying nozzle is lift-driven being based on an output of a photoswitch which detects an upper surface of the vehicle. CONSTITUTION:Point ends of a pair of supporting rods 9, 9, secured to both sides of an upper surface drying nozzle 8 connected to a blower 6, are respectively secured to lift members 11, 12 which are vertically moved along guide rails 10, 10 provided in a side part of a gate-type running frame 2 that runs on a pair of rails 1. By providing two photoswitches K1, K2 and a light source L in the one supporting rod 9 while a photoswitch K and light sources L1, L2, opposed to each photoswitch K1, K2 and the light source L, respectively in the other supporting rod 9, an upper surface of a vehicle can be detected. And a detecting device 25, which is provided with a flexible ring-shaped detecting unit 30 so as to surround the drying nozzle 8, is provided in the drying nozzle 8, and its avoidance action is performed when the detecting unit 30 is brought into contact with the vehicle.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention A1 Object of the Invention (1) Industrial Application Field The present invention provides a structure for drying the top surface of a vehicle after brushing in a car wash. The present invention relates to an upper surface drying device for a vehicle equipped with an upper surface drying nozzle that moves up and down.

(2) Conventional technology Conventionally, in order to dry the top surface of a vehicle that has been washed by a rotating brush attached to the running frame of a car wash machine, a top drying nozzle for a vehicle is attached to the running frame so as to be able to move up and down. It has been known.

Such a top drying device includes, for example, three photoelectric switches attached to the top drying nozzle, one at the front, one at the rear, and one at the bottom of the center.These three photoelectric switches detect the shape of the top of the vehicle. , the upper surface drying nozzle is driven up and down along the upper surface of the vehicle.

(3) Problems to be Solved by the Invention By the way, when an attempt is made to dry a pan-shaped vehicle with a nearly vertical rear part as shown in FIG. Since there is a risk of damage to the top drying nozzle or the vehicle due to contact, it was necessary to either increase the distance between the top drying nozzle and the preceding photoelectric switch, or to set the traveling speed of the traveling frame to a low speed during the drying process.

However, in the former method, when drying a normal passenger car type vehicle with a large angle of inclination of the vehicle rear glass, there is a problem that the distance between the top drying nozzle and the rear glass surface becomes unnecessarily large and the drying efficiency decreases. was there. Also,
The latter method has a problem in that the drying time becomes longer due to the reduced speed of the traveling frame.

Additionally, a spoiler is installed at the rear end of the roof as shown in Figure 6B.
In the case of a vehicle equipped with a spoiler 8, the upper surface drying nozzle cannot avoid the spoiler 8, and there is a risk of damaging the spoiler 8.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a top drying device for a vehicle that can reliably prevent contact between a top drying nozzle and a vehicle, regardless of the shape of the vehicle body. With the goal.

B9 Structure of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an upper surface drying nozzle that is mounted on a traveling frame so as to be able to rise and fall freely, and a top surface drying nozzle that is moved up and down together with the upper surface drying nozzle to cover the top surface of the vehicle. and a photoelectric switch for detecting the upper surface drying nozzle. The present invention is characterized in that a detection device is provided for detecting that the vehicle approaches a dangerous distance, and the upper surface drying nozzle is caused to perform an avoidance operation based on an output signal of the detection device.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, drying air is jetted from the upper surface drying nozzle while the traveling frame is traveling along the stopped vehicle, thereby drying the upper surface of the vehicle after brushing and cleaning. At this time, a photoelectric switch that moves up and down together with the top drying nozzle detects the shape of the top surface of the vehicle, and based on the output signal, the top drying nozzle is driven up and down to move along the top surface of the vehicle. When the top drying nozzle and the vehicle approach close enough to pose a risk of collision, the detection device is activated, and based on the output signal, the top drying nozzle takes an evasive action to avoid contact between the top drying nozzle and the vehicle.

(3) Examples Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

1 to 4 show a top surface drying device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and 1rllJ is an overall front view thereof;
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the detection device, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a pair of rails 1.1
The gate-shaped running frame 2 that runs on top has two idlers 3, 3.
and two driving wheels 4, 4.
is connected to a motor 5 and driven to rotate. A pair of blowers 6.6 are provided on both sides of the running frame 2, and the blowers 6.6 are connected to the top drying nozzle 8 via a flexible duct 7.7. A pair of support rods 9, 9 are fixed to both sides of the top drying nozzle 8, and the tips of the support rods 9, 9 move up and down along guide rails 10, 10 provided on the sides of the traveling frame 2. Lifting member 11.1
2 is fixed.

The elevating member 11.12 is engaged with the guide rail 10.10 so as to be able to swing in the traveling direction of the traveling frame 2 about a lower guide roller 13.13 pivotally supported at its lower part. A swinging arm 14 is pivotally supported on the upper part of one of the elevating members 11, and an upper guide roller 15 that engages with the guide rail 10 is pivotally supported on the lower end of this swinging arm 14. A neutral spring 16 is stretched between the elevating member 11 and the swing arm 14. Further, a limit switch 17 is provided at the top of the other lifting member 12, which is activated when both lifting members 11, 12 swing beyond a predetermined angle, and outputs a signal to stop the running of the traveling frame 2. There is. and,
An upper guide roller 15 that engages with the guide rail 10 is pivotally supported at the tip of an actuator 18 that operates the limit switch 17 .

One end of a pair of cables 19.19 is fixed to the center of the top drying nozzle 8, and the other end of the cable 19. .21 is fixed to the bottom of the groove (see Figure 4)
. Therefore, by the motor 22 said pulley 21.21
When the cables 19, 19 are rotated to wind up the cables 19, 19, the top drying nozzle 8 rises along the guide rails to, to, and conversely, when the cables 19, 19 are loosened, the top drying nozzle 8 moves up to the guide rail 10, 10. It descends under its own weight. One of the guide rails 10 has an upper limit switch 23 and a lower limit switch 2 that regulate both the upper and lower ends of the vertical stroke of the upper surface drying nozzle 8.
4 is attached, and operates by contacting a lifting member 11 that moves up and down together with the upper surface drying nozzle 8.

The support rod 9 on the side of the lifting member 11 is equipped with two photoelectric switches located at the front and rear of the upper drying nozzle 8.
is provided, and a light source is provided at the bottom of the center. The support rod 9 on the side of the lifting member 12 is provided with two light sources facing the two photoelectric switches K11K2.
2, and a photoelectric switch K facing the light source.

As shown in FIG.
5 is provided. This detection device 25 is equipped with a plate-shaped bracket 27 erected on a substrate 26 provided on the upper surface of the upper surface drying nozzle 8, and a circumferential groove 28a is carved at the tip on the side surface of this plate-shaped bracket 27. A shaft 28 is fixed horizontally. The circumferential groove 28a has a long hole 2 in the center.
A movable plate 29 formed with 9a is fitted so as to be able to move vertically and swing back and forth. At the bottom of the movable plate 29, a detection body 30 made of a ring-shaped piano wire whose surface is coated with vinyl chloride is attached so as to surround the upper surface drying nozzle 8. The movable plate 29 is guided in the circumferential groove 28a of the shaft 28, and can move up and down and swing back and forth. In addition, the movable plate 2
Two springs 31 and 31 are installed obliquely between the front and rear lower ends of the sensor 9 and the substrate 26, and urge the sensor 30 to the neutral position shown in the figure.

A proximity switch 32 is provided at the center of the substrate 26, and a detection piece 33 facing the proximity switch 32 is fixed to the lower center end of the movable plate 29. Thereby, when the detection body 30 comes into contact with the vehicle and the movable plate 29 rises or swings back and forth and the detection piece 33 is separated, the proximity switch 32 that detects this is activated.

The detection device 25 configured as described above is covered with a cover 34 that prevents washing water from entering, and a silicone rubber plate 35 attached to the side surface is covered with a sleeve formed vertically.
The detection body 30 is led out of the cover 34 through the cover 35a. This silicone rubber plate 35 prevents cleaning water from entering into the cover 34, and also imparts an appropriate frictional force to the detection body 30, making the detection body 30 unnecessary due to inertia caused by wind or movement of the traveling frame 2. This prevents any movement. This makes it possible to weaken the springs 31, 31 that urge the sensing body 30 to the neutral position, and prevents scratches on the surface of the vehicle with which the sensing body 30 comes into contact.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, band-shaped silicone rubber plates 36 and 36 are attached to both sides of the air outlet of the top drying nozzle 8, so that if the top drying nozzle 8 comes into contact with the vehicle, the vehicle will be damaged. Care has been taken to prevent damage.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of side drying nozzles 37 and 37 are installed on both left and right sides of the running frame 2, and a top brush 38 for brushing the top surface of the vehicle and a top brush 38 for brushing the top surface of the vehicle are mounted on the running frame 2. A pair of side brushes 39.39 are attached for brushing the sides.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be explained.

In the brushing process that precedes the drying process, the vehicle is stopped on the right side of the running frame 2 shown in FIG. 2, and the top brush 38 and side brushes 39 and 39 brush the vehicle while moving the running frame 2 to the right. . At this time, the upper surface drying nozzle 8 is at the upper limit position and the detection device 25
detects whether the height of the vehicle is high enough to be washed. That is, when the detection body 30 comes into contact with a vehicle and the proximity switch 32 is activated, the entire device is stopped. When the brushing process is finished, the traveling frame 2 stops, and a drying process by going back is started.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the traveling frame 2 starts going back in the direction of the arrow, the upper surface drying nozzle 8 descends from the upper limit position (a) to the lower limit position (a). Light source LI at position (C)
When the photoelectric switch 1 receiving light from the vehicle is blocked by the rear of the vehicle, the top drying nozzle 8 starts to rise.

When the detection body 30 of the detection device 25 comes into contact with the vehicle at position (6) and the proximity switch 32 is activated, the traveling frame 2 stops going back. During this time, the upper surface drying nozzle 8 is raised regardless of the positive output of the photoelectric switch, and it is determined whether the proximity switch 32 has become inactive one second after the proximity switch 32 is activated. At this time, if the detection body 30 and the vehicle are separated again due to the stop of the traveling frame 2 and the proximity switch 32 is inactive, the traveling frame 2
will begin its return journey again.

Further, if the proximity switch 32 remains activated, the above determination is repeated until the proximity switch 32 is deactivated.

In FIG. 5, when the traveling frame 2 stops for the first second, the upper surface drying nozzle 8 is in position (e), and the detection body 30
is separated from the vehicle, and the proximity switch 32 becomes inactive.

Therefore, the traveling frame 2 starts going back, and the upper surface drying nozzle 8 rises diagonally along the rear of the vehicle from position (e).

When traveling frame 2 starts going back, the photoelectric switch switches to 1.
If it is blocked, the upper surface drying nozzle 8 continues to rise, and if it passes, the upper surface drying nozzle 8 is stopped. Due to the action of the above-mentioned detection device 25, even when the spoiler 8 is attached to the rear end of the roof of the vehicle, contact between the spoiler 8 and the top drying nozzle 8 can be avoided.

When the upper surface drying nozzle 8 reaches position (f) and 1 passes through the photoelectric switch, the upper surface drying nozzle 8, which has stopped rising, moves to a position along the roof of the vehicle. During drying, when the photoelectric switch is cut off, the upper drying nozzle 8 rises, and when the central photoelectric switch K passes, the upper drying nozzle 8 descends.A ski carrier C as shown in FIG. 6C is installed on the roof. is installed, the detection body 30 of the detection device 25 comes into contact with the ski carrier C, the proximity switch 32 is activated, the traveling of the traveling frame 2 is stopped, and the upper surface drying nozzle 8 is raised. The action is repeated.

This avoids contact between the top drying nozzle 8 and the ski carrier C.

Moreover, when the top surface drying nozzle 8 reaches the front end of the roof part,
This time, the upper surface drying nozzle 8 moves along the windshield and the bonnet under the action of the rear photoelectric switch 3 and the center photoelectric switch, and the drying of the upper surface of the vehicle is completed.

In addition, in the drying process, the photoelectric switch K11K,
In the event that the upper drying nozzle 8 comes into contact with the vehicle due to a malfunction in the engine or the detection device 25, the lifting member 12 integrated with the upper drying nozzle 8 will swing around the lower guide roller 13 and the limit switch 17 will be activated. Operate. This stops the entire device and prevents damage to both the vehicle and the top drying nozzle 8. Moreover, the silicone rubber plates 36, 36 attached to the lower part of the upper surface drying nozzle 8 prevent scratches on the vehicle upon contact.

Next, the above-mentioned operation will be generally explained based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8.

In step S1, it is determined whether the process is a drying process, and if it is a drying process, the process proceeds to step S3, and if not, another process is performed in step S2.

If it is determined in step S3 that the traveling frame 2 is going around, it is determined in step S4 that the photoelectric switch is in the 1 state, and if the photoelectric switch is cut off, step S4 is determined.
5, the upper surface drying nozzle 8 is raised. At this time, it is determined in step 520 (see FIG. 8) whether the detection device 25 is operating, and if the detection device 35 is not operating, it is determined that the distance between the vehicle and the top drying nozzle 8 is sufficient, and the process returns to step (3).

Further, when the detection device 25 is activated, the traveling frame 2 is stopped in step S21, and the upper surface drying nozzle is activated by the photoelectric switch K11K2. rises regardless of the output signal. Next, after a predetermined time (for example, 1 second) has elapsed in step 323, it is determined again in step S24 whether the detection device 25 is operating. If the detection device 25 is inactive, the upper surface drying nozzle 8
Assuming that the vehicle has moved away from the vehicle, the traveling frame 2 runs again in step 325. Further, if the detection device 25 is inactive, steps 821 to 325 are repeated until it becomes inactive.

Now, when the traveling frame 2 starts traveling again in step S25, it returns to ■ again, and in step S4, the optical
2 has passed and the photoelectric switch 2 is cut off in step S6, the top drying nozzle 8 is stopped in step S7. In this case as well, it is determined in step 820 whether or not the detection device 25 is operating, as described above.
If it is operating, steps 321 to S25 are repeated.・Furthermore, if 2 passes through the photoelectric switch in step S4, 2 passes through the photoelectric switch in step S6, and the photoelectric switch K is cut off in step S8, step S
At 9, the top drying nozzle 8 is stopped. In this case as well, it is determined in step 320 whether the detection device 25 is operating, as described above, and if the detection device 25 is operating, steps 321 to S25 are repeated.

Further, if 1 has passed through the photoelectric switch in step S4, 2 has passed through the photoelectric switch in step S6, and the photoelectric switch K has passed in step S8, the upper surface drying nozzle 8 is lowered in step SIO. do. Then, in step Sll, it is determined whether the drying process has been completed, and if it has not been completed, the process proceeds to (2) and processes from step S20 onwards in which the operation of the detection device 25 is determined are performed.

If the drying process is performed while the traveling frame 2 is traveling, it is determined in step S3 that the traveling frame 2 is traveling, and the process proceeds to step S12, in which the positional relationship between the photoelectric switch 2 and the photoelectric switch 2 is determined. The same process is performed as in the case where the drying process is performed during the above-mentioned return trip, only that the process is reversed.

Further, if other processing such as brushing is performed in step S2, it is determined in step 326 whether or not to go forward.
If it is a forward trip, it is determined in step 827 whether the detection device 25 is operating. If the detection device 25 is activated, it is assumed that some kind of failure has occurred and step 3 is performed.
At 28, all devices stop.

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the detection device 35.

In this embodiment, the photoelectric switch is provided with a fourth photoelectric switch 3 and a light source L4 opposite the photoelectric switch 3 on the top of the photoelectric switch.

According to this embodiment, when the photoelectric switch 3 is interrupted by a vehicle while the traveling frame 2 is going back, it is determined that the upper surface drying nozzle 8 and the vehicle have approached the dangerous distance, and the same as in the previous embodiment. The traveling frame 2 stops and the upper surface drying nozzle 8 rises, thereby avoiding a collision between the upper surface drying nozzle 8 and the vehicle.

However, in this example, the rear part of the pan-type vehicle and the spoiler
It is possible to avoid 8, but it is not possible to avoid ski carrier 0.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various small design changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention described in the claims. It is possible to do so.

For example, instead of performing both operations of stopping the traveling frame 2 and raising the upper surface drying nozzle 8 as an avoidance operation performed when the detection device 25 is activated, only one of the operations may be performed. Furthermore, instead of stopping the traveling frame 2, its traveling speed may be reduced.

Furthermore, the running frame 2 does not necessarily have to be gate-shaped, and may run along a rail provided on the upper side wall of the building.

C1 Effects of the Invention According to the above-mentioned vehicle top drying device of the present invention, the top drying nozzle, which is movable up and down on the traveling frame, is provided with a detection device for detecting when the top drying nozzle and the vehicle approach a dangerous distance. Based on the output signal of this detection device, the top surface drying nozzle performs an evasive action, so even if the vehicle is a pan-type vehicle with a nearly vertical rear shape, or a vehicle equipped with a spoiler or ski carrier, the top surface drying nozzle will be prevented from drying. Contact between the nozzle and the vehicle can be reliably prevented. Therefore, the distance between the upper surface drying nozzle and the vehicle can be set smaller than that of the conventional one, so it is possible to significantly improve the drying effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle drying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the detection device, and FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-rV in FIG. The figure is a front view of a vehicle drying device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 2... Traveling frame, 8... Upper surface drying nozzle, 25
...detection device, K, 2. K...Photoelectric switch patent applicant: Takeuchi Iron Works Co., Ltd. Representative Patent attorney: Nobuaki Ochiai 1)
Takashi Naka Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A top drying nozzle mounted on a traveling frame so as to be movable up and down;
A top surface drying device for a vehicle, comprising a photoelectric switch that moves up and down with the top drying nozzle to detect the top surface of the vehicle, and drives the top drying nozzle up and down along the top surface shape of the vehicle based on an output signal of the photoelectric switch. The top drying nozzle is provided with a detection device that detects when the top drying nozzle and the vehicle approach a dangerous distance, and the top drying nozzle is made to perform an avoidance operation based on the output signal of the detection device. A top drying device for vehicles.